Thursday, November 1, 2007

Two Roads Diverged...

...and I, I have tried to take both.

I found it interesting that last week, I stumbled upon two very interesting blogs, literally within hours of each other. The first was Chadzilla, who's tagline reads, "The future of gastronomy belongs to chemistry." (Brillat Savarin, 1825). I found a link to this from one of my favorite magazines/blogs, Make, when they posted a link to an article about how to make vodka pills. As I browsed through the site, I discovered that the author is a man just like me: a cook who loves science. The biggest difference is that he actually works in a professional kitchen for a living. As I browsed through his site, I found article after article on things like sous vide, a technique that I have recently become fascinated with but have been unable to obtain the resources to study it. I knew that I was about to become a frequent reader.

The second was Bash Cures Cancer. I stumbled upon this when I found an article in Google about 10 Linux commands you've never used. I'm happy to say that I already use five of them on a regular basis, and there are three more than I have used variants of frequently. As I browsed through this blog, I discovered that the author is a man just like me: a Linux geek who loves to teach the world how cool Linux is, and how to use it. The biggest difference is that I actually teach in professional training centers for a living. As I browsed through his site, I found article after article on things like elegant scripting techniques, a subject which I have always been fascinated with, even though I can always use more help with it. I knew that I was about to become a frequent reader.

You know what amuses me about all of this? I have a degree in Culinary Arts, but I've never been to college for anything computer related. I rarely cook at home these days, because I'm usually on the road teaching a Linux class. When I know that I'm going to be teaching a class the following week using a book that I haven't used for a while (if ever), I bring a copy with me to read on the plane and in my hotel room. I'll be at home for the next three weeks, so this week I brought with me the ServSafe study guide to read in my hotel room and on the plane (my certification expires in December and I need to renew it).

They say that no man can serve two masters, and that's certainly true. At least, not at the same time. So when I'm not teaching in the classroom, I'm taking what time I can to play in the kitchen. A day does not go by when I'm not thinking about the next ingredient or recipe I plan to play with (I have a pound of bacon waiting for me at home, and it was on my mind all day during class). Right now the two roads are close enough that I've still been able to keep a foot in each one, except of course for dodging the occassional obstacle. I guess I'm just hoping the roads don't diverge anymore than this anytime soon.

The other day someone mentioned someone they knew who had a degree in computer something or another but did something else entirely for a living. Someone else replied about how seldom people actually end up in the field their degree is for. However, what I swas thinking was how pointless it would be to do anything with computers in college, because by the time you finished your degree, everything you learned at the beginning would be outdated anyway. Then again, the most useful class I've had so far was about Photoshop.

Oops, sorry to use your blog for rambling. Something to ponder, though.